Work on the Skagit County Jail in Mount Vernon began in November 2015, much to the relief of jail staff. The county had been in need of new correctional facilities for more than a decade and regularly was forced to accommodate more than twice the 83 inmates for which it was originally rated. Once complete, the jail will contain 400 beds throughout both housing pods and dormitories, medical and dental care facilities, and a courtroom. It will also be built with ample space to expand to 800 beds in the future.

San Francisco Sheriff Vicki Hennessy on March 23 notified the California Board of State and Community Corrections to rescind the City and County of San Francisco’s earlier request for $80 million in SB 863 funding. The written notification, directed to the board’s Deputy Director of County Facilities Construction Magi Work, also included a request to withdraw a 180-day extension of the deadline to submit a final proposal. The funding was originally intended for a project to replace the city and county’s aging jail facility.

A federal judge last week dismissed a series of lawsuits filed by inmates claiming that poor conditions at the Decatur City Jail in Decatur are violating their constitutional rights. The jail, which was first scheduled for closure more than 17 months ago, provides inmates with poor medical care and food services and increasingly inadequate living conditions, according to the 15 different lawsuits filed in the U.S. Northern District.

Approximately 18 months after the August 2014 earthquake that rocked Napa County, damaging hundreds of local buildings, county correctional officials are now urging local residents to support a bond measure that would help fund the construction of a new facility.
Speaking with a local CBS affiliate in May 2015, Napa County Corrections Administrative Manager Brett Prebula explained that, while the jail appeared stable from the outside, the building actually sustained significant internal damage during the 6.0 magnitude quake and would need to be entirely rebuilt.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan recently announced a plan that would level most of the vacant Baltimore City Detention Center (BCDC) complex, paving the way for the construction of a new and improved Baltimore Justice Center on the site. There, the governor hopes to erect a six-story facility to house both male and female inmates that will also include space for education and rehabilitative services.

North Dakota’s Bakken oil field region is an expansive boomtown. The region’s meteoric population growth began in the mid 2000s as oil companies flocked to the area, bringing with them throngs of new workers. While this type of growth is often beneficial for a small community, McKenzie County law enforcement and correctional officials in particular quickly became overwhelmed by the extreme uptick in crime that followed.

After weighing the construction of a new jail facility for more than a decade, Chisago County, Minn., correctional officials may be ready to put the project to bid this March. Should the jail project remain on track, bids could be approved by April of this year, with completion in early 2018.